Set in the years prior to the second World War, 9 year-old Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) is taken from her family and force to work in a geisha house. Though she is pretty, the geisha lifestyle doesnt interest her, especially after she is cruelly treated by a jealous geisha. But this changes when she meets the good-hearted Chairman (Ken Watanabe), and then she blossoms into the legendary geisha Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang), with the help of her mentor Mameha (Michelle Yeoh).